Curious Newcomer

Subject refers to myself and my cat, Blackie, who is a 9 year old Maine Coon mix. Blackie and I moved in with my girlfriend and her female 8 year old Burmese mix, Midi.

It's been a month so far and Blackie has established himself as the "aggressor"- however his behavior differs from most depictions of aggressor cats that I've read. He seems to have only the friendliest intentions- will approach Midi trying to touch noses or get a sniff, but Midi will tuck her ears, growl, hiss, and swat at Blackie if he gets too close.

They seem to coexist ok otherwise (they're both sleeping 2 feet away from each other right now)- it's only when Blackie tries to instigate contact that there are problems.

What should we do as owners to quell this, or at least make sure it doesnt escalate. I've read that breaking up fights with loud noises should be done, but I wouldnt call these fights, they never last long and theres usually no or very little physical contact. Any help would be appreciated.

-Mike

Don't fix what ain't broken (yet :-). It's normal for a resident female to be territorial and hiss the boys away, and normal for a new man to try to dominate, but so far it's sounds like they're just doing their jobs - nothing to worry about and it may not escalate (or if it does, there isn't a lot you can do about it ahead of time, or any time unless it gets very serious (if he really attacks and she can't defend herself - but it would be unusual unless he was unneutered, or a lot bigger and meaner, and she was very intimidated and small).

Hi! Welcome to TCS!
It does sound normal and as long as he is submissive to her demands of personal space, things will be fine. Just keep them entertained and play with them to help assure pent up energy is not taken out on each other........